Internships

The Department of Employment Services (DOES) provides a wide variety of services to job seekers through its One-Stop Career Centers. A vocational rehabilitation counselor who works for the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is also available at the One-Stop Career Centers. Please note that in order to receive services from an Employment Specialist at the One-Stop Career Center, job seekers must complete an assessment that includes a reading test. Residents who test below an eighth grade reading level will be referred to other agencies for assistance.

The American Association of People with Disabilities is the nation's largest disability rights organization. We promote equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation for people with disabilities. Our members, including people with disabilities and our family, friends, and supporters, represent a powerful force for change.

As the cornerstone of the American Job Center Network this site provides a single access point - open 24-7 - to key federal programs and critical local
resources to help people find a job, identify training programs, and gain skills in growing industries. Connecting Americans to online resources from across
the federal government, nearly 3,000 brick-and-mortar American Job Centers, and hundreds of local training programs and job resources funded through federal
grants, the proud partners of the American Job Center Network provide an easily-identifiable source for the help and services individuals and businesses
need. No matter what state you're in, whether you're online or visiting in person, when you see American Job Center Network, take comfort knowing you're
in the right place to jump start your job search, explore new career options, or tap into the most talented and dedicated workforce in the world.

BroadFutures provides holistic training and meaningful transitional work experiences for young adults with learning disabilities to empower their potential for positive and successful futures. BroadFutures’ holistic approach incorporates a unique focus on stress tolerance, flexibility and social supports.

Helps the blind or visually impaired population of the greater Washington region overcome the challenges of vision loss, enabling them to remain independent, active, and productive. Programs and services include training and consultation in assistive technology, employment marketing skills training, career placement services, comprehensive low-vision care, and a wide range of counseling and rehabilitation services.

Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job. For eligible youth at least 16 years of age, Job Corps provides the all-around skills needed to succeed in a career and in life.

Develops and supports mutually beneficial job placements to meet the workforce needs of local employers and the vocational goal of young people. The Foundation was established to enhance employment opportunities for young people with disabilities. Support to distribute goods and services to transitioning youth through the LEAP Awards program.

The Mayor's Youth Leadership Institute (MYLI) was founded in 1979 as a year-round program to train DC youth in the concepts of leadership
and self-development. The MYLI training model emphasizes practical, hands-on experience and a holistic approach to developing leaders for the 21st century.
Each year, 250 young people participate in the year-round program and 500 youth participate in the Summer Training Program. Thousands of DC youth have received leadership training to date.

Offers a variety of job-search tools and services: resource room, workshops, trained staff, information about jobs in demand , access to job openings through Maryland Workforce Exchange, an internet-based program and other job databases.

A transitional school that offers academic remediation, life skills classes, and a summer program. . Job coaches, therapists, and teachers are available to work on social skills in the workplace and to supervise job experiences for resume building.

The Accessibility Program supports the Smithsonian in making all visitors feel welcome by providing consistent, effortless access to the Institution’s programs, collections and facilities.

Responsibilities include:

Advising on and implementing policy, practices, and procedures related to access for people with disabilities;

Reviewing facility and exhibition designs;

Providing technical assistance;

Conducting outreach to the disability community and other cultural arts organizations;

Providing staff education on disability topics; and

Working with Smithsonian museums and offices to provide direct visitor services, including sign language interpretation, real time captioning, and alternate formats of publications.

Programs include:

All Access Camp
A two-week, multi-media summer camp for twenty Washington, D.C.-area High School students with cognitive and intellectual disabilities.

Access to Opportunities
Smithsonian Internship for People with Disabilities

Art Signs: Gallery Talks in American Sign Language

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Morning at the Museum
A project of the Smithsonian Institution's Accessibility Program and the Smithsonian Museums. Guided by a Community Advisory Committee comprised of museum educators, exhibit designers, professionals who work with children on the Autism Spectrum, parents, and self-advocates, the Smithsonian has developed a series of pre-visit materials designed to help children on the spectrum and their families enjoy a visit to the Smithsonian Museums.

Access American Stories Mobile App

Access American Stories is a bilingual (Spanish/English) “crowdsourced” audio experience and companion to the American Stories exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Designed to increase accessibility for visitors with low vision, the app offers everyone new ways of seeing 100 of America’s most evocative historical objects through the eyes of both visitors and museum staff.

Introductory Training: Children on the Autism Spectrum and Museums
This training covers the basics of autism spectrum disorders and how museums can better engage families with children on the Autism spectrum.

The center assists the world’s largest museum complex and research organization in acquiring and strengthening its understandings and practices of the field that encompasses the ideas and issues involved in the museum profession—from the practical, day-to-day skills needed to operate a museum to theories on the societal role of museums. Sponsors “Access to Opportunities” Internship Program for people with disabilities.

Provides an array of summer enrichment experiences in a range of industries. This short-term employment and training program provides thousands of District youth, ages 14-21, with an opportunity to gain practical experience and be compensated. Youth participants are paid the federal minimum wage.

The Sunflower Bakery Pastry Arts Training Program provides some 400 hours of bakery training and employee development, as well as a supervised internship, to adults with developmental or other cognitive disabilities, preparing them for employment.

an internship in a local business, acquired and monitored with the assistance of Sunflower’s Employment Specialist and/or an already-committed service provider, for three to six months

Sunflower offers an extensive, in-depth skilled pastry training program. Pace and curriculum are customized to the individual under the tutelage of professional pastry chefs. In area businesses, students as interns hone their skills en route to employment while receiving a work stipend. Sunflower’s Employer Partners provide job readiness assistance, including mock interviews, internships or job trials.

Organization serving hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States and other countries by providing selected students challenging opportunities to work and learn in Washington, D.C. for academic credit. Support includes Expansion of the Public Service Internship Program for College Students with Disabilities.

The What can YOU do? Campaign for Disability Employment encourages employers to recognize the workplace potential of people with disabilities. The outreach initiative connects people with disabilities, employers, family and educators with resources such as: